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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23181601">Drag You Down with Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrapheaps/pseuds/scrapheaps'>scrapheaps</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>"fairy" minghao, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Sworn enemies, angel junhui, call it "getting to know each other", i just dabbled with the prompt a bit, like they very much are bitches to each other rn, this at its core is minghao being a little shit, this was a creative writing assignment so, you can read this as there being sexual tension or not</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:00:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,084</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23181601</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrapheaps/pseuds/scrapheaps</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You are not the porcelain doll you think you are, my angel. Sin tempts you just as it does me."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>114</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Drag You Down with Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So one of the prompts the professor gave was: "Fairies dance in the garden at night, but they can only be seen during a Harvest Moon…." and here we are. I had wanted to save it for a possible background story if I ever decided to make this an actual story but I was tired and it was due in two hours so here is the slapped-together result.</p><p>a/n: Yes hi hello, I went back and fixed a few things in here as well so i am reposting it. It's still kinda eh so I'll probably go back to fix this eventually. I'm still not sure when I will ever get to writing the main story but hopefully I actually do it lol</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The blood that permanently stains Junhui’s skin makes him feel even dirtier as he moves through the garden. The dark liquid, no longer warm, drips off his fingers and smears the roses he pushes out of the way, painting the white petals with crimson. It’s beautiful, in a twisted way, how the red makes the white even more intense. There’s probably something deeper to be found from this. He doesn’t give himself the chance to think about it.</p><p> </p><p>The garden is serene and void of wildlife, with not a single creature in sight. Flowers of all kinds dot the area, their blooming petals somehow glowing in the moonlight and casting a myriad of colors over the ground. It’s eerily quiet; only the sounds of the wind and Junhui’s footsteps can be heard. It takes everything in him to ignore how his heartbeat grows stronger the closer he gets to the center of this garden. A thundering, erratic pulse, his pacing heart doesn’t quite fit with the stillness of the garden’s atmosphere, but he can’t help it. Years of searching and hoping have led him to this moment. If the legends are true and he plays his cards correctly, then maybe, just maybe, Junhui will finally be able to lift his curse. To set things right.</p><p> </p><p>Soon enough, the trees clear away to show a small pond. Right under the moon, the water is pitch black and perfectly still. A single lantern hangs off a willow near him, its orange flame a pale glow that casts a strange shadow against the tree’s drooping leaves. The air here is cold, causing every hair on Junhui’s body to stand on end in an instant. But what makes Junhui shiver, what makes his breath catch in his throat and mouth go dry, is the man that dances on the water.</p><p> </p><p>Graceful like the swaying willow trees surrounding the garden, the man extends his limbs with care, each movement a grand gesture of its own. The man is swathed in flowing white fabrics and with the way the wind blows around him, it looks like he has wings. If this is really the fairy Junhui has been looking for, then he can easily believe those are actually wings. He prances around on the pond’s surface without a single ripple of the water, making Junhui wonder if he’s truly touching it or just floating. Despite no music–or sound in general, for that matter–playing, the man still dances with purpose, presumably following the beat of something in his head.</p><p> </p><p>Feeling like he’s intruding on something intimate, all Junhui can do is stare in awe, and maybe a little fear. Junhui has been around for a long time, saw what started the ancient war between the angels and fae and what ended it, but even he knows little about the creatures aside from what the war required him to know. It seems a little ridiculous to think such a gentle appearance could belong to one of the blood-crazed creatures who killed thousands with the snap of a finger. Then again, Junhui doesn’t have any place to talk about looks, not when the scars where his wings once were burn just as strongly as they did all those centuries ago.</p><p> </p><p>The fairy stops dancing mid-step, seemingly frozen in place with his hands lifted towards the moon while the rest of his body bows to the water. The sudden halting causes Junhui to jump, hands clenched at his side to keep them from shaking. Ever so slowly, he lifts his head and makes direct eye contact with Junhui. It takes everything in Junhui not to flee right then and there.</p><p> </p><p><em> Beautiful </em>is the only way that Junhui can describe him. Large doe eyes, the same shade of silver as his hair that falls against smooth pale skin, and a small button nose, he looks more like a porcelain doll than a war machine. But by the way his eyes narrow as he smiles, something tells Junhui that fragility is only skin deep. It is hard for Junhui to swallow.</p><p> </p><p>Even his voice is soft, a gentle thrum that both soothes and unsettles Junhui’s nerves all at once.  “You are lost.” It is not a question.</p><p> </p><p>Junhui’s stomach forms knots as soon as he opens his mouth to speak. “Are you Minghao?”</p><p> </p><p>The being's eyes spark for just a moment, his lips pulling back into a lazy smile. “How curious.” He takes a single step forward, noting the way it makes Junhui twitch. “What brings a soul like yours to my garden?”</p><p> </p><p>“Is it-” He clears his throat, wills his voice to stop shaking. “Is it true you can grant wishes of any scale?”</p><p> </p><p>Something cracks, the sound ringing inside Junhui's skull like a painful echo. When he looks down, he sees ice beginning to form beneath Minghao's feet. “You mistake me for the jinn. My powers exceed that of any bottle slave’s abilities. <em> I </em>am capable of things your gods could not even begin to imagine and do not need some pitiful master to do so. Do not insult me like that again lest you wish for me to add your head to my collection.”</p><p> </p><p>“O-Of course,” Junhui rushes out. “My apologies, that was not what my intention. It is just...everyone knows the stories of the fae blessing humans who have proven themselves worthy. Riches, magic, immortality, whatever they desire.” He scrambles to fish something out of his bag, pulling out yellowing pages of paper. “A-And texts say that when created, each fairy was created to be more powerful than those that preceded them. So, if you are truly Minghao, you would be the youngest of the eight fae...making you the most powerful.”</p><p> </p><p>The fairy raises an eyebrow. “And what is a fallen angel doing believing in the fables of humans?”</p><p> </p><p>Junhui feels his heart drop. “How…” He whispers, eyes widening. “How do you know of that?”</p><p> </p><p>Minghao aimlessly waves his hand at the shaking male. “I was created to kill your kind, angel. Your scent, be it drenched in the blood of your brothers and sisters or tainted by the stench of those incompetent humans, will always reveal itself to me. However.” He gives Junhui a once over, eyes glowing with that strange light once again as he does so. “I have never met a fallen before. Is it true your wings are torn off?”</p><p> </p><p>All of the blood drains from Junhui’s face. “I- You cannot just-”</p><p> </p><p>“I have heard tales of angels tried for their crimes.” In the blink of an eye, Minghao is now behind Junhui, leaning against the willow tree that holds the dying lantern. “Apparently, your rulers rip your wings off in front of your kind and then you are forced to fall from the heavens.”</p><p> </p><p>A sting shoots up Junhui’s spine, the familiar burning sensation sending bile to his mouth in an instant. “Y-You have no right to-”</p><p> </p><p>“And stripped of your immortality, you are left with <em> just </em> enough magic to survive the fall to this realm. My, is <em> that </em>why you appear before me in such a ghastly form?” The fairy starts to laugh. “Are you not even allowed to heal yourself of your wounds? Are you damned to cower around humans, showing how you have sullied your divine rank? How just, is it not?”</p><p> </p><p>His cheeks flush. “Stop this.”</p><p> </p><p>But Minghao refuses to listen, his laughter only growing louder. “It is cruel, yes, but then again, I suppose something so harsh is deserved for a crime from a holy being. I mean, to sin is against your very existence. Such irony is almost pathetic, honestly. It makes me wonder just how strong was your desire to sacrifice everything. Tell me, was it lust-”</p><p> </p><p>Junhui slams Minghao against the willow tree, trembling hands gripping the fairy’s shoulders as they stand nearly nose to nose. “Not another word,” he hisses through gritted teeth.</p><p> </p><p>Minghao blinks up at him, completely unfazed as he tilts his head closer, his voice a whisper. “You asked me to assist you. According to your <em>stories</em>, the fae only blessed those who were worthy. Yet I only see a groveling mutt, too deluded to accept his deserved fate. Stripped of your purpose as a consequence of your own actions, you now whine of unfairness. Tell me, why should I ever see you as worthy of my help, and to turn you back into an <em> angel, </em>no less? You should be grateful I have not killed you for simply entering my garden.”</p><p> </p><p>“You are wrong,” Junhui mutters. His nausea is quickly returning. "I did not travel this far to ask that of you."</p><p> </p><p>“Then what?”</p><p> </p><p>His tongue grows heavy. Obedience still clings to him, despite everything. “I wish to remove the gods from power.”</p><p> </p><p>In the garden, there is silence. In the fairy's eyes, there is a storm. “You wish for war.”</p><p> </p><p>“The fae were capable of winning the war, you know this just as well as I do. The only reason the angels managed to defeat the fae was because of intelligence. We outsmarted your king, who exposed himself and was completely vulnerable due to giving all of his magic to his subjects out of desperation.” Junhui can feel Minghao tense under his hands. “You've been banished from this realm, a-and you desire to return. That- that is why you come to this garden every Harvest Moon, yes? Our gods are cruel and incapable of changing. Angels have suffered for millennia under their rule but we are unable to rebel due to our very natures. Even if I can no longer be an angel anymore, my kind do not deserve to live in such a way. If we were to work together and upstage the gods, we could free both of our kinds.”</p><p> </p><p>The fairy stares at him for a long time, searching for something in his eyes with an intensity that claws at Junhui's gut. “You have found such a noble reason to justify murder."</p><p> </p><p>Junhui shakes his head. “I ask for justice, that is all.”</p><p> </p><p>Minghao laughs, the sound much gentler this time. He strokes the fallen’s cheek, traces a symbol on the soft skin with a single finger and Junhui's own blood. “And just what do you think vengeance stems from?” He grabs the angel by the back of the neck and pulls him down so that they are at eye level, lips curling at the gasp it solicits. “You are not the porcelain doll you think you are, my angel. Sin tempts you just as it does me."</p><p> </p><p><em>You are prey to him. </em>"I will do whatever it takes." He takes in the sight of Minghao–hooded eyes that shine with ancient power, full lips that bare a murderous smile–and draws a shaking breath. "I will do whatever it takes, and I will not break."</p><p> </p><p>The hand curled in Junhui's hair tightens. "We shall see."</p><p> </p><p>Before Junhui can speak, the feeling of something warm circles itself around his neck. He glances down and sees a silver chain, thick and heavy, locking into place just below his adam's apple, the other end of it held in Minghao’s free hand. Eyes glowing with raw energy, the fairy tilts Junhui’s head from side to side, examining his handiwork. “This should suffice,” he hums.</p><p> </p><p>Finally letting go of Minghao’s shoulders, Junhui’s hands fly to the base of his throat. The chain has disappeared, but there is still a faint warmth tickling the skin there. Something tightens in his chest and his face warms. “What is <em> this?</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Minghao flashes him a wolfish grin. “In the literal sense of the term, you are now bound to your words.” He makes a tugging motion with his hand, snickering when Junhui jerks forward with a yelp to level their heights once more. The angel slams a hand against the willow to stop himself from pressing any closer into Minghao, eyes frantically wide. "And bound to me.”</p><p> </p><p>The stories of the fae were nothing compared to meeting one, Junhui realizes. Because Minghao, with his doll-like appearance and sharp tongue, is more like the demons Junhui was taught to never become. Glancing down, he sees the blood from his hands has managed to stain Minghao’s shirt. It’s beautiful, in a twisted way, how the red makes the white even more intense. There’s probably something deeper to be found from this. He doesn’t give himself the chance to think about it.</p><p> </p><p>“Now, to kill some gods.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In case you were wondering:</p><p>1) No, I did not use their names for when I submitted the assignment, and</p><p>2) I got a 100 on the paper so shout-out to my professor for having low standards!!</p><p>Feel free to clown me on <a href="https://twitter.com/ahlovejun">twitter</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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